We all know what it means when winter break rolls around: endless grueling hours of Monopoly with our extended families. But don’t fear, I’m here to spare you that misery! Most of us already know the joys of White Elephant and Secret Santa. Instead, I am here to explain what is objectively the greatest holiday game of all time: Celebrity.
This game was introduced to my family several years ago after being brought home from college by a cousin. I can’t speak to its origins, but I can tell you that it became a favorite, and has to be restricted to just Thanksgiving to avoid full-blown obsession.
Celebrity is essentially a cooler and snazzier version of charades. The setup is simple. Collect the largest group you can find, and have them each write down three to five celebrities, characters, books, nouns, or verbs. For reference, my family’s most recent game of Celebrity included the clues Jimmy Carter, Jesus, Hope Solo, South Dakota, Gel Builder, and David Schwimmer. The rounds go by quickly, so the more clues the better!
Once the clues have been assembled in the most festive receptacle you can find, teams must be formed. As we all remember from elementary school gym class, team-picking can get a little hairy. I suggest devising a system to match people up. Each team guesses the clues that their teammate presents, so it’s helpful to have at least one person on your team who will get your inside jokes. You also need a time and score keeper for each team.
Now, for the actual playing of the game! Celebrity consists of three rounds. Each is structured the same, with members of every team rotating one-minute turns until all the clues are gone, with slightly different rules for each round. During the first round, the clue-giver can say as many words as they want to describe their clue (without rhyming, spelling, or gesturing) until their team gets it, at which point they can unceremoniously hurl it to the ground and get the next clue. This goes on until their minute is up, at which point it is the other team’s turn. Once all the clues are gone, it is time for round two!
All of the clues are returned to the initial receptacle used, and the game restarts where it left off, except now only one word can be used to describe each clue. It seems tricky, but because all of the clues have been seen once before, they’re a little easier to guess. Some clues, like Jimmy Carter can be quite easy. Clues like South Dakota can be harder, with one relative of mine opting for the word “ew”.
When the clues run out, it’s time for, you guessed it, round three! Now, this is the last round of the game, so try not to get too emotional. It’s also, in my opinion, the most fun! Each clue must be silently acted out, without any spelling or air quotes. This round can go horribly wrong very quickly, so think before you act.
Finally, after hours have passed, the game will be over. Losers’ hearts will be broken, and winners’ egos fed for the rest of the holiday. All in all, Celebrity is far superior to any other holiday game, and I hope you’ll give it a try. If you run into any stumbling blocks, make up new rules! Just don’t look it up, as I made the fatal mistake of doing while writing this charming expose, because the internet version of this game is deeply inferior.
